Stuart Skinner came into training camp 15 pounds lighter. But don’t worry, Edmonton Oilers fans, none of it was lost in his trademarked moustache.
That’s still as bushy and brilliant as ever.
As for the rest of his 6-foot-4 frame, it’s gotten lighter, sleeker, quicker, more agile and easier to get up and down — theoretically, anyway — at a lean, mean 215. (A typo in the roster on opening day of training camp had him listed at a gaunt 205 pounds).
It all amounts to a promising young player looking to continue progressing along in the development of a fresh career that has been nothing short of fast-tracked, thus far.
He kicked down the door on his way into the NHL with an All-Star nod on the way to being named a Calder trophy finalist as a rookie, to winning the starting job early in his second season and puck-stopping the Oilers to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals.
And after coming heartbreakingly close to tasting victory from hockey’s Holy Grail once again, it’s a safe bet Skinner is willing to do whatever it takes to continue on his upward trajectory. Even if it means giving up a piece of himself. Fifteen pounds worth, to be precise.
A franchise goalie in the making?
It’s been decades since the Oilers have been able to groom a franchise goaltender from the ground up. And to have Skinner sprout out of the ground right here in his hometown seems almost too good to be true.
There is no doubt he is on track to grow into one of the league’s elite netminders one day. The only question is when.
Unfortunately, if the answer isn’t either: A. Immediately; B. Now; or C. Pronto, then it’s not soon enough in the minds of a fan base that’s been starved since the banner-blanketed glory days that ended 35 years ago.
With the second-oldest roster in the league, not to mention the future of Connor McDavid up in the air after this season, the Oilers are in win-now mode.
There are no guarantees those two consecutive appearances in the Cup final will result in a third this time around, but if they don’t find a way to not only get back there, but finally get over the hump, the chances of them being able to return for a fourth time next season seem less and less likely. Championship windows don’t remain open forever.
What that’s meant for Skinner up to this point is developing the ability to endure his share of the blame, whether it’s all entirely fair or not.
After all, it was the Oilers who chose to put all their eggs in a young goalie’s basket. Instead of being given the chance to watch from the bench, take baby steps on the ice and grow into a starter, he’s been thrust into the spotlight where every single one of his growing pains along the way have to be endured with the fans at the same time.
G-MAN’S TAKE: Notoriously slow starts at one end of the season, and a letdown in their playoff runs that require a temporary benching at the other end? Those have become the norm. But a new season means Skinner gets a chance to rewrite that tired script. Hopefully, the trilogy has a happier ending than the sequel.
Could a new boss make for a new Stu too?
Despite outcries from fans, Oilers management didn’t (or wasn’t able to) make any changes in the crease over the off-season, but they did end up swapping out the one in charge of overseeing things there.
The Oilers brought in a new goalie coach for the first time in more than a decade, as Dustin a Schwartz was replaced amid a flurry of cries of, “Finally!” on social media posts.
Whether entirely warranted or not, the old goaltending department regime had a target squarely on its back for a handful of years and it got to the point where something needed to be done.
Peter Aubry spent significant time coaching in the Chicago Blackhawks system, where he was introduced to now-Oilers general manager Stan Bowman. Aubry’s approach is to treat his goalies like human beings first and foremost, and hockey players second.
G-MAN’S TAKE: Skinner gave a rave review of his brief time, so far, working with Aubry. Then again, it’s his new boss. What else was he going to say?
Will Skinner remain in Edmonton long-term?
All eyes are on McDavid’s contract situation, as the greatest player in the game takes his sweet time contemplating his future, weighing the odds on whether or not the Oilers will ever have what it takes to cement his legacy with a Stanley Cup.
But he’s not the only one heading into a contract year. Skinner will have to come up with some answers of his own soon.
One thing that’s certain is, up to to this point, the Oilers have made off like bandits when it comes to paying their current goalies.
Show me a more productive tandem the past two seasons than Skinner and backup Calvin Pickard, who come in at $3.6 million — combined(!) — which is well worth the price of admission. Especially when it’s a ticket that takes you all the way to a Cup final. Or two.
Skinner had nothing to say when it came to his own contract, or that of Dustin Wolf, his 24-year-old counterpart in Calgary fresh off signing a new seven-year, $52.5-million contract extension last week.
It’s not that Skinner isn’t thinking about his future — he said the main reason for dropping all that weight was for longevity, after all. He’s just got more pressing matters on his mind over the next few months. And if that goes well, the contract stuff will take care of itself.
G-MAN’S TAKE: Don’t buy in too much to the idea Skinner will remain in Edmonton and raise his own family in the same city he grew up in. Money talks, goalies walk. And whoever it ends up being next year, the Oilers are going to be paying significantly more to their starting goalie.
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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